Training Begins
The various workout machines Lena had purchased were assembled in a rough half-circle, with the weights place between the bench and squat racks. The middle of the circle was left bare for now but would soon hold the sparring mats that had finally arrived. Maggie and Alex had wanted to make sure the kids were serious about training before they taught them how to properly defend themselves, especially the ones who didn’t have powers, and to keep the kids from hurting themselves by sparring without any training. Nearly two solid weeks of training every day proved their intentions, and self-defense training would begin as soon as the two women arrived.
“It looks like we’re training for American Ninja Warrior or something,” Chase remarks as he surveys the equipment with a critical eye. As the teenager most familiar with the equipment, and working out in general, Alex and Maggie had allowed him look over the set up and let them know if anything needed to be corrected or reassembled after the machines had been broken in. “All we need now is a warped wall.”
“A what?” Gert asked from where she sat on the bench used for the bench press.
“A warped wall. It’s a tall wall with a curve at the top. You have to get a running start, grab the top of the wall, and haul yourself over.” Chase explained.
“Sounds like too much work.”
“I’ve never done it, but I always thought it would be pretty fun.”
“You would.” Gert rolls her eyes, but she smiles when Chase comes over and sits next to her on the bench.
“Do you think we’re doing the right thing?” He breaks the easy silence that had fallen over them, twisting his hands together.
“What, working out?”
“No,” this time it’s Chase who rolls his eyes before turning serious again, “Going against our parents. Is fighting them the right thing?”
“I don’t know.” Gert answers, leaning her head on Chase’s shoulder. It’s a question she’s been pondering for the past two weeks as they started to really work on building strength and endurance before starting self-defense training. “I know what they are doing is wrong, even if they don’t think so.”
“But maybe they do, know it’s wrong, I mean,” Chase corrects himself, shaking his head slightly. “Well, all of them but my dad. He’s always been screwed up.”
“Chase,” Gert trails off, unsure what to say and opting to just take Chase’s hand in her own and squeeze it slightly. Chase stares at the joined hands for a second, a look in his eyes that Gert can’t decipher but before she can question him the other Runaways join them.
“How’d the planning session go?” Gert asked curiously as Molly, Alex, Karolina and Nico claimed seats around her and Chase. Molly plops on the ground, leaning against Gert’s legs. Alex, Nico and Karolina also sit on the ground, Nico opting to sit on Karolina’s lap rather than the grass. Karolina accepts her happily, shooting the smallest of glances at Alex as Nico makes herself comfortable, slinging an arm around Karolina and tucking her head in the crook between her neck and shoulder.
Chase catches Karolina’s eye after she looks away from Alex, who seemed unaffected by Nico’s seat choice, and offers her a small smile. Karolina smiles back, her eyes traveling the line of Chase’s arm to his hand, still joined with Gert’s. Chase can see the surprise in Karolina’s eyes and fights off the flush threating to color his cheeks.
“We’re almost ready, just need to test Karolina’s powers and figure out how we are going to get down to LA and back.” Alex answered for himself, Nico, and Karolina. The three of them had been with Lena, Kara, and Alex in Lena’s home office, planning how they would get to LA and steal the Staff of One from Tina.
“We’ll do that after our sparring lesson. If all goes well, we’ll be headed back to LA Thursday.” Karolina rubbed Nico’s back as she spoke after feeling her girlfriend tense in her arms. Nico relaxed back into her a few moments later. The two of them had spent several hours the past few nights talking about how they felt about returning to LA, especially since there was a large chance Nico would have to face her parents.
“I can’t believe Supergirl is going to teach us to fight!” Even after almost a month of living with her, Molly still feels like she’s dreaming every time she sees Kara land in the yard, red cape billowing behind her. Her enthusiasm provides a nice distraction for Nico and Karolina.
“Actually, Supergirl’s sister is doing the training,” Gert reminds her sister who grumbles in response.
“Still! An actual trained super-spy!”
“I’m just glad she’s been teaching you how to fly,” Chase adds, gesturing at Karolina.
“Me too,” Karolina responds with a slight grimace, “it’s way less scary than how we found out.”
“What happened?” Alex asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity. Karolina can feel Nico’s shoulders shift as she moves in her lap.
“We found out on accident, Chase and I, at the last PRIDE party we went too. I had a bit too much to drink,” Karolina starts off, “Chase and I were up on the roof with a bottle of cheap vodka, talking for bit. Then, Chase had kissed me, and I had backed away, a little too far as when I took another step, I sort of, um, fell over the edge.” Nico’s eyes widen as her grip on Karolina’s waist tightens, lifting her head to look at her girlfriend’s face. “Chase grabbed for me and managed to knock my bracelet off. Next thing I know, I’m lit up like a rainbow and hovering above the roof.”
“Giving me a fucking heart attack in the process.”
“Chase, language.”
“I should really get this clasp fixed, shouldn’t I?” Karolina lifts the arm not wrapped around Nico, her silver bracelet catching the light of the setting sun.
“You fell off a roof?” Nico asks, struck by the casual way Karolina had told the story. As if it was fond memory instead of really bad situation that could have ended with Karolina bloody and broken on the pavement.
“A little?” Karolina shrugged. “It was an accident, I’m fine, and it was kind of a rush, once I got my bearings.”
“A rush? Karo, you fell off a building!” Nico’s eyes are wide with worry, moving quickly as they look over Karolina’s face, like the event had just happened. “How have I not heard this story before?”
“Nico, I’m fine,” the arm Karolina has around Nico tightens, “it was weeks ago, I wasn’t hurt. Relax, baby.” Her words drop to a whisper, only for Nico to hear and she gently kisses her. Chase watches Alex for any kind of negative reaction but all he does is release a resigned sigh paired with a small, understanding smile. Nico steals another soft kiss before her eyes narrow and her gaze turns to Chase.
“You kissed my girlfriend?” Her tone is deadly. Chase visibly gulps, shrinking in on himself and trying to hide behind Gert.
“It was before you got together,” Chase defends himself, “It was one kiss, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Chase holds his hands up, slightly thankful Nico doesn’t have her staff, as Nico glares at him.
“Better not.” Gert mumbles before she can stop herself and the group turns as one to look at her. “What? I said that on behalf of Karolina and Nico.” Gert offers an explanation no one asked for, ignoring the way they continue to stare and swiftly changing the conversation topic back to their upcoming training.
Kara, Lena, Maggie and Alex watch the group from the door that connects the backyard to the entrance hall.
“Are they always like that?” Maggie asks, gesturing to Nico and Karolina all cuddled up together.
“Pretty much,” Kara answered, “from what I can tell, Karolina and Nico recently became a thing, like as in around the time we moved in here, but before that there was something between Nico and Alex.”
“Whatever that was, ended pretty badly, and now those two just got the point that they can be in the same room for longer than a few minutes before insults start flying and the others have to step in.” Lena interjects.
“There were a few tense encounters when they first got here, but Alex seems to be coming to terms with it. Or, at least trying to let it go.”
“I’m sure Karolina and Lena sharing a bedroom didn’t help the process,” Lena continues, “especially since its one pretty far down the hall from the others.”
“That was a rough morning.” Kara remarks, thinking back to that day, a few weeks ago. Alex had been sulking at the table, looking positively murderous when Karolina and Nico walked into the kitchen together. Alex had called them out for sneaking around, only to find that there weren’t sneaking around at all. Nico and Karolina had been sharing a room since half-way through the first night at the Mansion, when Nico had a nightmare and could only fall back asleep once Karolina was with her. No one had mentioned the living arrangements since it was a non-issue for them. Alex seemed equally hurt by Nico’s choice and angry about being left out of the loop.
“Gotta love teenage emotions,” Maggie chuckled slightly. “Not that I can blame them. Growing up in general is hard. Growing up and learning your parents are murders, and then having to run away? I can only imagine how they must feel. Adding on regular teenage issues like dating must seem like the hardest thing in the world.”
Alex wraps her arm around her fiancée, pulling her close to her own body. Maggie leans into her gratefully, thinking about the circumstances that led to her leaving her own parents. At least Maggie had a support system when she left, she didn’t run away either, she just moved in with the only family she had that she trusted. These kids didn’t have that advantage.
“They’ll work it out.” Alex remarks, watching as the group in the yard continues to converse. Karolina and Nico are still cuddled together, even from their limited vantage point Alex can see Nico’s fingers absently twisting in the loose strands of Karolina’s hair, but the boy beside them seems to be ignoring it. “For now, we need to get to work. Time to help these kids protect themselves.”
“Up and at ‘em Runaways, we’ve got work to do!” Maggie called as the four adults stepped fully into the backyard. The six teenagers climbed to their feet quickly, Molly obviously the most excited for their sparring lessons finally starting.
“Once again, everything we show you is for self-defense only.” Alex reminded them as she approached the group. It was conversation that had been repeated at least three times in the past week. “We know you guys are up against a lot, and you feel like it’s your responsibility to handle it all. We want to help however we can.” Alex paused to survey the determined looks the teenagers supported. They were so strong, and so scared at the same time. “We’ll show you guys whatever we can while we have the chance, starting with a little demonstration.”
Her speech finished, Alex turned to the mats laid out for the sparring and waited for her partner to join her. Surprising all but Maggie and Alex, Nico let go of Karolina’s hand and stepped onto the mat with Alex after shredding her shoes.
“Nico?” Karolina questioned with raised eyebrows. Nico winked in response and positioned herself in a loose fighting stance. “What? Oh!” Only Alex could see Nico’s smirk, a long-forgotten memory having surface in Karolina’s mind.
“What? What’s going on?” Chase asked for the assembled group. Karolina shook her head rather than offer a verbal answer, gesturing to Nico and Alex. The pair circled one another in the rough circular shape of the mats.
They still as one, a tense beat of silence passing. Kara nearly bounced in place from her spot beside Lena, her anticipation exciting her. Without realizing it, her and Lena’s hands linked together.
Nico gave the smallest nod. The fight was on.
Alex launched her attack, Nico dodging at the last possible second before retaliating with a sharp kick aimed at Alex’s chest. Alex dodges nimbly and their deadly dance has begun. Karolina watches completely enthralled by Nico’s graceful movements around the mat. Every strike is calculated, every movement sure and steady. For every blow she takes, Nico dishes out two. It’s a breathtaking display that has Karolina feeling unnaturally warm. She’s sure if she hadn’t been wearing her bracelet, she’d be glowing brighter than the sun.
The match ended with a panting Nico landing hard on her back after Alex finally managed to get the upper hand. It was only Alex’s extra years of constant use that had given her the advantage. Nico was simply out of practice.
“You almost had you me,” Alex comments as she helps Nico to her feet, “nicely done, Black Belt.”
“Not so bad yourself, Doc,” Nico offered the woman a smile, the most genuine Alex had seen directed at one of the adults so far. They stepped off the mat together, but further conversation was halted by the sudden appearance of Karolina.
“What did you thi-“ Nico’s question is cut off with a squeak as Karolina sweeps her off her feet. Nico’s legs wrap around Karolina’s waist automatically and she really hopes no one hears the noise that came from the back of her throat when Karolina kisses her, hard. It feels a little different than normal, Nico’s not used to being the one who has to bend down when they kiss but she rather enjoys it.
“That was incredible!” Karolina cheers when they separate. She’s still holding Nico’s weight against her, one hand resting across the small of her back and the other buried in Nico’s hair to rest against her neck. Nico’s sweaty body is pressed against her chest, her face flushed, and chest heaving. Karolina has the sudden desire to see if the flush flows through the skin she can’t see.
“Ahem,” Chase clears his throat loudly, “ladies, there are children present. Well, a child.” Molly punches him in the arm.
Karolina blushes crimson and sets Nico back on her feet. She’s grateful she decided to keep her bracelet until she has a better handle on keeping her lights under control, otherwise she’d be glowing so bright she might have blinded her friends. They can feel the teasing looks coming from the others but ignore them for the moment.
“So, did anyone else just spontaneously remember that Nico’s a fucking black belt?” Wilder asks. He receives stunned nods from all of his friends bar the girl in question.
“I can’t believe you all forgot in the first place.”
“You haven’t practiced since we were fourteen,” Karolina interjects, “you stopped because Amy wanted to, but Tina wouldn’t let her unless you stopped too.”
Nico nods in response, suddenly leaning heavily into her girlfriend. Karolina wraps both arms around her and kisses the top of her head. Nico’s eyes fall closed, fighting against the memories that want to rise and the tears that will come with them. They open again when she feels another set of arms wrap around her and Karolina, Chase’s sad smile swimming into view before it’s blocked by Molly’s ever-present cat ears. She feels Gert and Alex join on the other side and suddenly has to fight off the tears for an entirely different reason.
The adults look on sadly, the unspoken question shining in their eyes, but they stay silent and let the group have their moment until Nico’s eyes open again.
“There’s room for more, you know.” If anyone seems surprised by her words, they hide it well. A rustle of bushes announces Old Lace’s presence with the group. Then, six teenagers, four adults, and a deinonychus are hugging in the backyard of the old Luthor mansion.
Nico can’t remember the last time she felt this whole.
“That was a shocking turn of events,” Lena comments as she, Kara, Maggie and Alex settle around the dining room table with a bottle of wine split between the four of them. The kids had retreated up stairs to shower and change for dinner after a very successful day of sparring, their emotional group hug included.
“No kidding,” Kara shook her head, “they trust us, enough to be vulnerable around us.”
“We can’t screw this up,” Maggie said, “every adult they know has betrayed them. We can’t be like that.” The trust they’ve established with the Runaways, while growing in strength every day, is inconsistent from kid to kid. Karolina and Gert trust them more so than the others, though Molly is close behind them. Nico, Chase, and Alex are still holding back.
“We won’t.” Alex reassures her, resting a hand on her arm. She knows better then the other two women how torn up Maggie is about this whole situation. Maggie has a soft spot for kids, especially ones in trouble. It’s part of the reason Alex was so surprised two weeks ago when she found out Maggie didn’t want to have kids. They’re still arguing about that, momentarily putting wedding plans on hold until they get it figured out. “We’ll keep doing exactly what we have been, showing them we care, helping when we can, being here.”
“What about this mission to LA?”
“I’m going with them,” Alex nods decisively, “I’ve already spoken to J’onn about it. It’s bending the rules, but as long as we classify this staff as alien tech, at least on the paperwork, it falls under the DEO’s jurisdiction. Technically the kids in the DEO”s protective custody anyway, anything involving them will be kept off the record until it’s safe for them to be out in the open again. I think Vasquez might come with us, too.”
“At least they’ll have some backup,” Kara sighed. “I know they feel like they have to do this, Nico especially, but I just have a bad feeling. PRIDE’s been far to silent to not be up to something.”
“We haven’t got them doing anything even a little out of the ordinary?”
“No, but we do have something,” Alex nodded in Lena’s direction, “we didn’t want to say anything yet because nothing is confirmed. There have been numerous sightings of all members of PRIDE at the Gibborim church, all except Leslie Dean.”
“Why is that something?”
“Leslie is the head of the church.” Maggie answered, “she took over from her father, who took over from her grandfather. Karolina was being groomed to take over next. If Leslie isn’t there, it’s because she’s being kept away.”
“I want to talk to Karolina about it,” Alex said, “see if there’s a retreat or something she could have been sent too, or if there’s something else going on.”
“But you don’t want to upset her.” Alex nodded at her sister. They all knew the kids’ parents were sensitive topics around the Mansion. No one wanted to break the fragile trust they’ve established by shaking the boat too soon. “I know why you’re hesitant, but you need to talk to her. If we keep this from them, we’re no better than their parents.”
“I know, I’ll talk to her.”
“I’m glad they’re starting to really trust us,” Lena commented after a beat of silence. “I know it’s not easy for them, especially considering who I am.”
“Lena, you’re more than a Luthor,” Kara reminded her pointedly, rubbing a hand down her arm. “They know that, and so do you.”
“I know,” Lena offered Kara a smile, “old habits and all that.”
Alex and Maggie shared a look as Kara’s hand remained on Lena’s arm far longer than necessary, a smirk passing between them.
‘Twenty bucks says they have no idea’ Alex mouthed.
‘You’re on’ Maggie smiled back. Terms set, they steered the conversation to lighter topics as the kids began to enter the dining room one by one. Lena and Maggie went to pick up the pizza Lena had ordered before they sat down with their wine.
“Hey, are you doing any better? Do you need a refill?” Alex quietly asked Gert once the others were sufficiently distracted with arguing over what game to play while they waited for dinner. Lena had been honest with Gert when she asked how she’d gotten the prescription. Alex had written it for her, technically filled out to Lena but that would change as soon as the kid’s names were cleared. They were still on California’s most wanted list.
“I should be okay until the end of the month,” Gert answered lowly. “And thanks, for getting that for me.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Alex protested. “We’re here to help, however we can. Keeping you guys mentally healthy is just as important as keeping you fed and roof over your head.” For the second time that day, Alex was surprised to find herself hugging a teenager, but she didn’t hesitate to hug Gert back.
“I seriously don’t know what would have happened to us if you and Mags hadn’t found us that night.”
“I don’t know either,” Alex answers, “I’m just glad we did. Honestly, I think you guys are helping us just as much as we are helping you.”
“Really?” Gert’s surprise is echoed on Chase and Alex’s face, matched with disbelief on Nico, Karolina, and Molly’s who had picked up on Alex’s slightly louder voice.
“Absolutely.” Kara’s answer is sure in a way that leaves no room for argument. Of course, Gert argues.
“But you guys have done so much for us, and we haven’t done anything for you.”
“Yes you have, just more emotionally than physically.”
“What do you mean?” Karolina asks the woman she’s started to see as her mentor.
“Well, before you guys showed up, I was feeling pretty lost. I’ve told you about the Daxamite invasion that happened a couple months before you got here before. During that, I had to say goodbye to someone really special to me. Defeating the invasion made the air poisonous for him, I sent him into space in my old pod to protect him. Truthfully, I don’t know what happened to him.”
“But how do we affect any of that?”
“You reminded me why I put that suit on, the real reason.” Kara smiled at them. “Before, I was using Supergirl to hide from the pain of losing someone I cared about. I was running, from my feelings, from my job, from everything that made me who I am. You guys helped me remember who that person is. Who I really am.”
“We really made that much of a difference for you?” Molly looked to be feeling a mixture of pride and embarrassment.
“Even more for me and Maggie,” Alex interjected, “we all do dangerous jobs, we’ve never minded but our drives have changed. I always wanted to make the world a better place, but that was to protect my sister,” Kara smiled at her, “but now, I don’t just want to make the world a better place, I’m determined to make it happen. Maggie is too. Because kids like you exist in this world, and you deserve to have every opportunity. I guess you could say you’ve given us a new lease on life.”
“What about Lena?” Nico asked softly. “How have we helped her? How can it compare to everything she’s done for us?” Nico gestures around the room with the hand not resting on Karolina’s thigh beneath the table. The roof over their head, the food they eat, the equipment they use to train, the clothes on their backs, all of it came from Lena.
“You’ll have to ask her.” Kara answers, even though she knows what Lena will say. It will mean more to hear it from the source. “I think her answer will surprise you.”
Kara’s phone rang a moment later, Winn letting her know about a robbery downtown that she could help with. Looks like the perps had managed to get ahold of some alien tech.
“Save me some pizza guys, I’ll be back in a bit.” Kara pulled her shirt open to reveal her suit, spinning around quickly as she shed the rest of her day wear. The runaways shared a silent, amused look after Kara placed the neatly folded stack of clothes in the designated spot on a small table placed in the corner of every room for that specific purpose. Lena had made sure Kara knew not to leave her clothes all over the Mansion when she had to leave for work. She placed her glasses on top of the pile, pulled her hair down, waved cheerfully at the kids and her sister and the swept out of the room. One loud boom later and they were alone.
“Do you think we’ll ever get used to that?” Gert asked Alex as she followed her to the table.
“Oh yeah, trust me, it’s not nearly as impressive after the five hundredth time.” Alex clapped her hands together. “Now, who here knows how to play Egyptian Ratscrew?”
Half an hour later, Lena and Maggie return to the Mansion, greeted with a mixture of excited yelps and distraught groans emanating from the dining room. They share a look and shrug in tandem before moving into the indicated room, arms laden with several boxes of pizza. They can’t help but smile at the sight that greets them as they enter the room.
Alex Wilder and Alex Danvers sit side-by-side, chairs angled to the table but bodies facing one another. On the table between them, a pile of cards sits growing larger by the second as each person adds one to the pile on their turn. Chase, Molly, and Nico stand behind the teenage playing with Karolina and Gert standing behind the agent, all five of them cheering on their chosen Alex. Lena sets the pizza down on the opposite end of the table from the card game, taking the top three boxes off the top and moving them into the kitchen for Kara to eat when she gets back.
“Who’s winning?” Maggie asks after setting her pizzas down and joining Gert and Karolina on her fiancée’s side.
“Tied,” six voices answer in unison, moments before Wilder slaps his hand on the large pile in the middle.
“What? There wasn’t anything there!”
“Sandwich, Danvers,” Alex removes his hand to show the agent the six sandwiched between two fives.
“Damn, you’re good kid.” The agent held only five cards in her hand, meaning the teenager held the other 47. She had a slim chance of winning, and she knew it. Maggie smiled from her place behind the game.
She wasn’t sure if the kids had picked up on it yet or not, but Maggie and Alex had been giving each of them a special nickname. At first, it was just to differentiate between the two Alex’s and Nico’s habit of calling Karolina ‘Karo’ had caused a little confusion among the group at first. Then, Maggie decided that every kid deserved to have their own nickname, given to them by a trusted adult. Karolina was first to get one, Rainbow after both her powers and her generally sunny disposition. Gert was next, Arsenic to match Old Lace (even though Maggie didn’t come up with it, Gert had said she was okay with them using it) and then Molly was named Bruiser after almost knocking Kara’s lights out while they were working on controlling her strength. Nico had started off as Black Belt after she told Alex and Maggie of her training, but Maggie thought Nyx suited her personality and dark aesthetic better. Only the two boys had remained without a nickname, but Maggie finally had one for Alex. Ratscrew. It was funny, and would always remind her of the day the Runaways finally let them in. Now, she needed something for Chase. (She wanted to go with Hearteyes but didn’t want to embarrass the poor kid).
“And Ratscrew is victorious!” Maggie cheered as Alex finally held all the cards in his hand. He pumped his fists, rose from his chair, and bowed dramatically to the assembled group as he basked in his victory. The others laughed loudly, feeling freer than they had since they ran away.
“Pizza’s getting cold, guys.” Lena called to them as she brought plates into the room.
“How come I don’t have a nickname yet?” Chase asked as they sat down with their food after putting the cards away. “What? Everyone else has one.” He continued when all of his friends looked at him questioningly.
“I haven’t found one for you yet.” Maggie answers truthfully. “You’ve been harder to pin down than the others.”
“Wait, what’s everyone else’s nickname?”
“I’m Rainbow,” Karolina spoke up,
“Arsenic,” Gert pointed at herself,
“Bruiser,”
“I’m Black Belt, right?”
“Actually, I’m changing yours to Nyx,” Maggie gestured vaguely in Nico’s direction with one hand. “It suits you better. And your Ratscrew, Alex.” Nico looked satisfied with the change, smiling at Maggie before turning back to her food.
“Ratscrew,” Alex tested the name, thinking about his victory, “I like it.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Alex rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry Chase, we’ll come up with one for you sooner or later. You can’t rush something like getting a good nickname.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to get the wrong one!” Molly added in, her enthusiasm making her friends smile. They’d been worried she would lose her spirit the longer they stayed away from LA, but Molly was as happy as ever, maybe even happier.
“I guess so.” Gert rubbed Chase’s shoulder sympathetically with the hand not holding her pizza to her mouth. He smiled at her, his grin growing to a smirk as Gert blushed.
“Any word from Supergirl?” Karolina asked after swallowing her food.
“She’s on her way back now,” Lena answered after reading the text that lit up her phone screen.
“Sorry, that took so long guys.” Kara entered a few moments later, dressed in her suit and carrying her three boxes in from the kitchen. She plopped into the seat next to Lena left open for her. “They’re weapons were a little more heavy duty that I expected.”
“Are you okay?” Lena asked, her brow furrowing in concern.
“I’m fine,” Kara reached out a squeezed Lena’s hand gently, “just starving.”
Lena stared at Kara for a beat, her eyes roving across her face in search of any form of injury. Satisfied, Lena nodded her head and gestured for Kara to start eating. Across from them, Karolina and Nico shared an amused glance, Nico ran her hand across Karolina’s thigh under the table. They both glanced away, catching their friends’ eyes and offering a small nod.
The Runaways had a little bet going between them, with losers having a month of dish washing. The bet was simple, they had each picked a day in the not so distant future. Whoever chose whatever date ended up being closest to the one Kara and Lena got together would win. If it was directly between two, they’d both win. The one who guessed the date furthest off would lose and become the resident dish washer. They’d set the terms of the bet a week ago after Molly and Chase interrupted what they thought might have been Kara and Lena about to kiss.
Things weren’t perfect in the world, not by a long shot. Their parents were still murders, they were still wanted for a murder they didn’t commit, they still had to overwhelming responsibility of taking down PRIDE and stopping Jonah once and for all, but it wasn’t all bad. They had a roof over their heads, clean clothes on their bodies, food in their stomachs. They had each other, they were together, and Alex and Nico were finally getting along again. They had four women they trusted on their side, women they were beginning to love. Nico fell in love with Karolina a little more each day, though neither had said the words yet. And they had the joy of watching two women who were obviously meant for one another fall in love.
Finished with her meal, Nico leaned happily against Karolina’s side as conversation picked up around them. Karolina wrapped her arm around Nico’s shoulders, an absent, automatic motion, without turning from her conversation with Molly. The atmosphere was light, easy, brimming with laughter and happiness and it reminded Nico why she wanted to stand up to her parents in the first place.
She’d already lost one family, the one she was born into. She’d be damned if she lost the one she chose for herself.